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Competitive lifestyle keeps man going
By JOE HARLESS
Article published on Thursday, Jan. 25, 2007 |
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![[Image]](/content_images/012507_cit-06.jpg) |
| Photo by JOE HARLESS |
| Mark Welch, left, and his Tampa Generals teammates fight for the ball during a practice scrimmage. |
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CLEARWATER – It’s not quite noon yet, but Mark Welch is already on the phone making plans for the weekend.
When his workday ends, Welch plans to meet up with two of his teammates and drive to West Palm Beach. Their quad rugby team, the Tampa Generals, will play in a tournament, the first in a series of matches the team will play in two weekends ending with another tournament the following weekend in Temple Terrace.
All told, the Generals will be playing 10 games in 10 days and the road trip to West Palm already has Welch a little excited.
“We’ll take him with us,” Welch said to a teammate on the phone, referring to their mutual friend. “It’ll be like ‘The Three Stooges.’”
In his youth Welch, a Clearwater resident, was a gymnast, competing throughout middle and high school and earning a scholarship to Syracuse University. He enjoyed being active until 1996, when he dove into a pool and suffered a neck injury that left him in a wheelchair.
He began his recovery by going to Tampa General Hospital for physical therapy, where he learned about the Tampa Generals quad rugby team. He joined the team in 1997 and has been playing ever since.
“It’s very competitive and physical, one of the few full contact wheelchair sports,” Welch said, smiling. “We just crash into each other.”
“We’ve been teammates for nine years,” said Justin Stark, director of the Florida Spinal Injury Resource Center and a member of the Tampa Generals. “He’s a great guy and a good friend, on and off the court.”
While quad sports like softball and basketball have been well-established, quad rugby was not introduced until the early 1980s. Once word got around, current Generals Coach David Ceruti said “it just blew up.”
Ceruti, who also plays for the Generals, said Welch’s growth as a player has been impressive to watch. When he first joined, Welch did not travel with the team until he got thrown into the starting lineup after another player had been injured. Over time, Ceruti said Welch has developed into a great player.
“He has a lot of respect from the team,” Ceruti said. “He’s quiet, leads by example. He’s fearless on the court, almost to a fault.”
While he loves rugby, Welch said many people have misconceptions about the game itself.
“This is a serious Paralympics sport,” Welch said. “Some people don’t think that’s what we’re doing.”
Formed in 1989, the Generals have a long history of excellence behind them. Boasting three national championships they continue to be active even after the founding members retired. Rather than break apart, the club’s open-door policy allowing anyone to tryout has helped the club to keep going.
Ceruti said the current team has players from St. Petersburg, Tampa, Clearwater and New Port Richey.
“It’s probably the oldest continued running quad rugby team in the country,” Ceruti said. “That’s a tribute to our sponsors and dedication of our volunteers and players. I can see the club lasting another 10 to 20 years.”
Teams from around the world travel to compete in these tournaments. A German team will be participating in one of their upcoming tournaments and several of Welch’s teammates hope to try out for the U.S. Paralympic Team in the future.
“It’s great for guys with any type of paralysis,” Stark said. “This is kind of our therapy.”
“It’s awesome,” Welch said. “It’s one of the best sports I’ve played.”
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Article published on Thursday, Jan. 25, 2007
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